Notable Individuals of British Communism, 1886-1997

At its peak, the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) had tens of thousands of dedicated activists fighting to bring sweeping change across Britain. These activists penetrated nearly all areas of British society, from industry and trade unions to colonial administration and academia. Convinced of the righteousness of their cause, these activists showed great enthusiasm and fierce determination in advancing the struggle for socialism.

This collection is drawn from the personal papers of a multitude of CPGB activists throughout the twentieth century. This includes those at the heart of party (such as full-time "national organisers") and peripheral figures who supported the communist cause (such as Labour MP Dennis Nowell Pritt). Covering over a hundred years, from the communist movement’s earliest sprouting’s to its nadir in the late twentieth century, the collection offers valuable insights into the grassroots efforts of almost one hundred communist activists and sympathisers.

The collection is accompanied by three contextual essays written by Kevin Morgan.

Struggle, struggle and struggle for [a] better future. It's not easy, but [it is] noble.

Unknown author, Communist Party activist

Insights

This collection contains papers related to a breadth of communist activists that stretches far beyond the shores of Britain. The collection houses material from regions ranging from colonial Africa to war-torn Northeast Asia.

A large portion of the material is derived from those activists most intimately bound to the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). This includes files on the political activity of “full-time” CPGB activists such as Mariam Ramelson and Jack Dunman.

The work of trade unionists are featured extensively, and the papers of Peter Kerrigan and Arthur Horner shed light on the activities and campaigns of the Amalgamated Engineering Union and the Welsh Miners Federation, respectively.

All levels of British politics are covered, from local councillers like C.K. Cullen in Poplar through to sympathetic Labour MP’s like Dennis Nowell Pritt and John Burns.

Material collected by activists attached to media publications like the Morning Star, Marxism Today, and the Soviet Weekly, offers a perspective on how the communist movement tried to utilise mass media to spread anti-capitalist sentiment in Britain and abroad.

The collection also hosts material related to militant activism, with biographical material concerning British volunteers in the Spanish Civil War, as well as accounts of those who fought against fascism in the Second World War.

Highlights

Document

Glyn Evans and British colonialism in South Asia, 1929-1933

Document

Marian Ramelson and revolutionary feminism in China, 1949-1950

Document

Kit Meredith on civil defence and nuclear weapons, 1963

Document

Jack Dunman’s examination of socialist agriculture and property, 1968-1972

The Archives of the Communist Party Of Great Britain: An Introduction

The Departments of the Communist Party of Great Britain: A Detailed Guide

Notable Individuals of the Communist Party of Great Britain

Editorial Board

Professor Kevin Morgan Professor of Politics and Contemporary History https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/kevin.morgan.html Kevin Morgan is the Professor of Politics and Contemporary History at the University of Manchester and recipient of an AHRC Fellowship for the project ‘Communism and the cult of the leader’. Professor Morgan is also the editor of the journal 'Twentieth Century Communism' and a trustee of the Communist Party of Great Britain Archives Trust and the Working Class Movement Library.